Splintering SLFP; ship of waste material; spot of good news

Is the Sri Lanka Freedom party writhing in its death throes? Is the blame for that to be laid at Maithripala Sirisena’s feet? He wrested the chairmanship of the Blue Party; Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga should be SLFP Head if custom, tradition and courtesy are observed.

SLFP

We remember the founding of the SLFP as was said to be a protest by SWRD Bandaranaike when he was overlooked and the premiership, which was passed on to Dudley following the death of his father DS Senanayake. While browsing the Internet, Cass found the following piece of info, which was new to her. “Though he did not encourage Mrs Bandaranaike to engage in political topics and was dismissive of her in front of colleagues, SWRD came to respect her judgement. In 1951, she persuaded him to resign from the United National Party and establish the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.” He did just that, but perhaps went beyond her advice by stating the basis of the party would be the Pancha Maha Balavegaya (Five Great Forces) which consisted of ayurveda doctors, Buddhist clergy, teachers, farmers and workers.

His test of them was a farce: taken to the then sacrosanct premises of the Parliament some ran amok and occupied the Speaker’s seat. Even in the general political field, ‘unleashing’ them was found to be premature, though SWRD won popularity, seats in parliament and power. “After winning 9 seats in the 1952 parliamentary elections, SWRDB contested the 1956 election on a platform of giving true meaning to Independence achieved in 1948. This involved a nationalist, democratic and socialist programme, which saw the SLFP achieve a huge victory at the elections and was seen as an equal rival to the UNP.

Then comes Sirisena not overtly ordering so but having MPs Mahinda Amaraweera, Duminda Dissanayake and Lasantha Alagiyawanne unseated from the high posts they held in the Party – Senior VP, National Organiser and Treasurer respectively. Reason: accepting ministerial posts in the government. Things get curiouser and curiouser. Minister of the SLPP and UNP government, Dr Wijayadasa Rajapakshe, was invited to deliver a lecture to the SLFPers gathered at their headquarters in Darley Road. Only Sirisena could plan and execute such a devious arrangement, very probably strategically beneficial to himself.

There’s more to come in this tragicomedy since the demoted three are resorting to legal action. One truth given out by Prez Ranil W is that Parliament and its members should have been awarded Raigam Awards for excellent teledrama comedy and cunning.

Dangerous garbage ahoy!

Cassandra received a video clip with a picture of the freight ship colliding with the Baltimore Bridge and a write-up that it was the Singapore cargo ship named Dali chartered by Maersk carrying 764 tons of hazardous waste material to Sri Lanka from the US. She thought she was being hoodwinked, nay caught in a social media hype or trick as she had been the previous week. But asking around she found it was a true story. My God, she exclaimed, is the government of SL still allowing the importing and unloading of poisonous garbage in our land? Who gets rich on this most hazardous one-way trade? Cannot such evils be stopped?

Cass said she was tricked. Why? Remember in her previous Friday’s Cry she mentioned the poem read at the February 2024 Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood. It was a hoax. No such poem had been read at the ceremony. In fact, she noted a discrepancy but thought not much of it and believed the video clip she viewed. While journalist Chris Hedges was supposedly reciting the plaintive poem on the Gaza disaster, the camera panning on faces in the audience showed smiles; no face showing the slightest sorrow, shock or shame.

She sent it to a niece and this more discerning woman remarked on this fact vehemently. A New York resident who watched the entire awards ceremony was surprised at Cass’ comment on the poetry reading. What poem? Chris Hedges reading a poem? And then it dawned on easily taken in, naïve Cass that she had been successfully deceived by a tech savvy Palestinian sympathiser, probably.

Kudos to SL through dance

One bright spot in our sights of wasteful use of now scarce treated water to daily bathe cars, gardens and roads; eternal repetitions of news on “When’s the elections?” and tales of corruption: a dollop of bright praise came Sri Lanka’s way. Much needed when the name of our lovely island is being immediately and inexorably coupled with the mass murder of a Sri Lankan mother and four children, including a two-month infant by a compatriot.

The praise Cass refers to was for our three Chitrasena Company dancers who performed in New York and Atlanta for sure, and most probably in Washington DC too, with Odissi dancers in ‘Ahuti.’ I was told about this by a woman in New York, who seemed to prefer the Odissi style to the Kandyan. But a man from Atlanta who watched the show with two Americans raved over our dancers: Theja Dias, Amanda Gomesz and Kishan Dharmaratne. He said the Kandyan style of more restraint and yes, dignity, was better than the Indian style. His American friends were amazed at the beauty, agility and sheer excellence of all the dancers. I agree with both opinions on seeing a video sent of short takes of the various dances where the two styles were combined.

The two participating and cooperating groups are the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble of classical Indian dance from Odissi and Chitrasena Dance Company, which is the foremost Sri Lankan dance ensemble specialising in the style of the Kandyan tradition of dance.

Cass read a review by Brian Seibert of May 10, 2023, on ‘Ahuti’ where he notes the two ensembles ‘shared roots and contrasting movements.” “Main Odissi style of sensuous S curves and Kandyan – freer, loops and jumpier; friendlier, playful and less stylized.” The show was choreographed by Surupa Sen, assisted by our Heshma Wignarajah.

A fine tribute to this island of ours from our foremost school of dance.